Friends and Lovers
Chapter Twelve
At the Sheffield Mansion, Niles had built a fire and poured a couple snifters of brandy for himself and C.C.. They sat for a couple of hours, laughing, talking, and cuddling before Niles worked up the courage to finally kiss her. It was a soft, gentle kiss, but it spoke volumes. The years of bickering had finally come to an end, being replaced by a loving friendship, and the beginning of what promised to be a lifelong relationship. Niles so wanted to invite her to spend the night with him, but he didn't want to rush their relationship. Instead, he offered her the use of Miss Fine's room, since she would be spending the night in her own home tonight. He walked C.C. upstairs and stopped outside the door to the guest room. He made sure she knew where the towels and robes were, and then kissed her good night before heading to his own room.
Early the next morning Niles awoke to the sound of one of the children crying. When he heard the familiar cry of "Want Daddy", he knew it had to be Irene. By the time he donned his robe and slippers and plodded down the hall, he found C.C. sitting in the rocker, singing and rocking the crying child. Grace was also awake and in need of attention. Denise was sitting on the edge of the bed rocking the older child.
"Niles, we'd better call Fran. It feels like Irene's temperature is up again."
He looked at the nanny. "Did you remember her medicine last night?"
She nodded. "Yes, I gave her the antibiotic and the pain medicine. As soon as I get Grace settled down I'll get her morning dose."
"I'll get it. Where do you keep it?"
"The antibiotic is on the top shelf of the refrigerator, and the other bottle is in the cupboard to the right of the fridge, top shelf." Niles headed downstairs to retrieve the medications, and C.C. started removing clothing from the child.
"Isn't this what we're supposed to do? Take her clothes off to cool her down? What about a cool bath?"
"She'll only let her parents do that. This is one picky little girl."
She laughed and kissed the child on the forehead. "She's awfully warm. Ree, Honey, will you let Aunt C. give you a bath? You can play with your toys in the tub."
Irene buried her face in C.C.'s neck. "Want Daddy. Want Mommy."
"I know, Sweetie, Dee will call Mommy and Daddy, and Aunt C. will give you a bath so you're all clean when Mommy and Daddy come home."
"K. Boats in bath?"
She hugged the child tightly. "Yes, Baby, you can have your boats in the bath."
"They're actually Brighton's boats; he usually doesn't let her play with them."
"She's sick, if they make her happy, he'll just have to deal with it." She couldn't believe the surge of protectiveness she felt for this child. She always thought she didn't have a maternal bone in her body, but since Fran came into her life, these five children had become like her own. "Can you go get them from the boys' room while I take Ree to Maxwell's room? He's got that big tub that she can play in."
"I'm not sure if you should take her in there when Mr. Sheffield isn't home."
"Well, I'm sure as hell not going to take her in there when Maxwell's IN his room, now, am I? Just go get the boats; I want to get this baby's temperature down. I'll call Fran once I get her in the tub."
"Yes, Ma'am." Denise knew better to cross C.C. when she got that tone in her voice. She'd heard it booming from the office on many occasions. She picked up Grace, headed for the boys' room, and selected several toy boats for Ree to play with.
"What are you doing, Denise?" A sleepy Brighton pulled his head from under the covers.
"Irene's sick again. C.C. is giving her a bath and told me to get some of your boats for her to play with in the tub." She was sure she was going to have a fight on her hands. Instead, both boys leapt out of bed and began to collect toys to take to their sister.
"Which tub is she in?"
"She's in your father's bathroom." She watched in amazement as the boys rushed the toys to their crying sister, offering her hugs and kisses as she got into the tub.
Niles appeared at the bathroom door with the medicine. "Well, well, look at you. Aren't you just the picture of motherhood?" He smiled as he handed her the medicine bottles and spoon.
"You know, Niles, it's actually scary. I never even thought I HAD a biological clock, and now all I can hear is the alarm ringing in my ears." She carefully spooned the pink and red liquids into the toddler's mouth.
He laughed. "I think that's Miss Irene's screaming."
"I'm serious, Niles. What kind of mother would I make? I had NO role model, well, I had Sarah and Fran. What man would want the Witch Queen of Broadway as the mother of his children?"
"One who knows the real you. That Witch Queen is just a front to keep you from getting hurt. As for the kind of mother you'd make…I've seen you with these kids. If anyone else woke you up at this hour without a cup of coffee in their hand, you'd have them beheaded. Irene wakes you up and you're falling over yourself to make her happy. THAT is being a mother."
"I don't even understand kids. What do they like to play, to eat? What causes that giggling that comes from deep inside them?" She stroked the child's hair. "What if they don't like me?"
As if on cue, Irene looked up at C.C. and smiled. "Love you, Aunt C.!" C.C.'s eyes filled with tears. She looked over at Niles, who was smiling broadly.
"Well, there's your answer."
She sighed and smiled. "I guess it is. Could you please bring me the phone? I want to call Fran and let her know what's going on. I mean, I think we've got things under control, but knowing her, she'll want to know."
Niles disappeared into the bedroom, and then reappeared with the portable phone. She dialed Fran's number and waited for her friend's sleepy voice to answer. She was surprised when Maxwell answered. "Maxwell, it's C.C., I need to talk to Fran."
"What's wrong?"
"Irene's fever went up overnight, she woke up crying. I just gave her the medications, and put her in a cool tub to play a little bit."
"Irene let you bathe her?"
"What is it, Honey?" Fran slowly opened her eyes. "Why does Ree need a bath at this hour?"
"We'll be right home, C.C.."
"Maxwell, she's fine. She's playing in your tub with the boys' boats, she's had her medicine. She doesn't feel as hot anymore. You and Fran take your time."
Fran pulled the phone away from Max. "Hi, Ceece, how is she?"
"She seems better now. She was hot when she woke up, was crying for you and Max, but I got her undressed and convinced her to let me give her a cool bath. The boys donated their boats. Careful, Ree."
"K., Aunt C.."
"She just leaned too far forward. I think things are under control here. You take your time over there. If anything else happens, one of us will call you."
"Wait, you're there awfully early! Did you spend the night?" Now that Fran was sure her daughter was out of danger her yenta skills were back on track.
"Yes, I did, but in YOUR room. I borrowed some pajamas and your robe. I hope you don't mind."
"Oh, in MY room. No, I don't mind at all, anything that's mine is yours." She glanced over at Max. "Well almost anything. Thanks, C.C., I'm glad you were there."
"Me, too, Fran. If you're giving things away, I wouldn't mind this little one here in the tub."
"Fat chance, my friend." She laughed. "We'll see you soon."
She hung up the phone and smiled. "She spent the night!"
"I never would have expected C.C. and Niles to fall for each other. They've been at each other's throats for years."
"Well, she slept in my room; I guess they're taking things slow, which for THEM is a good thing."
"So what did she want that made you tell her "fat chance"?" He watched her stretch slowly.
She stopped stretching and sat up. "Irene! She told me she wanted our baby!"
"Fat chance is right! I can't believe the change in C.C. since she met you. She's still the same C.C. at work, but away from the theater she's warm, caring, maternal, and less involved with snobby friends who think if you're not in their class, you're nothing."
"Is that why she tormented Niles all these years?"
"I'm wondering now if she was always attracted to him, and it took someone to finally point it out to her."
"I think she was, but she was also attracted to another handsome British man, and couldn't see beyond the end of her nose, because she was so hung up on him."
"Poor C.C.. I feel bad that I never noticed."
"Sweetie, you met Sarah and no one else existed."
"No one else until you." He leaned over and kissed her. "I love you. Do you realize that two weeks from today you'll be Mrs. Maxwell Sheffield?"
"I can't wait."
"What do you think about calling the lawyers today and starting the adoptions?"
"You don't want to wait until the lab tests come back?"
"I don't give a DAMN what the tests say. Right now, she's not mine legally, and neither are Michael and Irene. I want to rectify that as soon as possible."
She climbed out of bed and smiled as she pulled on her robe. "Do we need both lawyers? Can't Chandler handle everything?"
"You don't want to use your own? He's handled everything for you since you were eighteen."
"He's a great lawyer, but since we're getting rid of 'yours' and 'mine' and starting 'ours', then maybe we should choose one. You've always said how much you trust Chandler, so let's go with him."
"If you're sure, Darling."
"Give him a call; I'm going to take a shower."
He kissed her as she headed for the shower. "I'll try to hurry the call so I can join you."
Max called Chandler Evans and was able to get him started on the adoption proceedings quickly. He joined Fran in the shower, and the two made love before gently washing each other.
They slowly dried each other off before returning to the bedroom to dress. Thirty minutes later they pulled up in front of the Sheffield home in Fran's convertible. They went inside to find C.C. on the sofa with both girls, who were sitting quietly listening to her reading to them. Denise was folding the children's laundry on the coffee table.
"I think we're in the wrong house, Darling." Max smiled as his children got up and ran to greet them.
"Daddy…hurts." Irene pulled at her ear.
"I know it does, Sweetheart." He looked at the nanny. "How long will it be until she can have more medicine?"
"She only had it two hours ago, when she had her bath."
He kissed her forehead. "Well, she doesn't feel warm, but she shouldn't be in this much pain. Maybe we should take her back to the doctor."
"Now who's the worrier, Daddy?" She laughed and reached for her daughter, who recoiled and clung to her father. She sighed. "Maybe you're right, though. If she gets worse over the weekend, she'll have to go to the clinic and not see her regular doctor."
Grace got off the sofa and walked over to her mother. "My ears hurt, too, Mommy."
She looked at Max and winked. "All right, Honey, we'll take you to the doctor, too. He'll look at your ears."
"Will I get a shot?"
"Only if your ears are really sick like Irene's."
"I'll call the doctor from my office, Darling." He tried to put the toddler down, but she cried and clung to him tighter. "WE'LL call the doctor from OUR office. Come on, Little One."
Denise, we'll be at the pediatrician's office for a while, I'm not sure how long it will take us to get in. If Chandler Evans calls, have him call Maxwell's cell phone."
"Why's Maxwell calling his attorney, Fran?" C.C. looked from her friend toward the office door.
"I'll tell ya later, Ceece." She cut her eyes toward the children. C.C. nodded her understanding as Maxwell emerged from his office.
"I'll handle work today, Maxwell; you just worry about the little ones."
"Thank you, C.C. I'll have my cell phone with me if anyone calls that needs to talk to me personally. Is Niles in the kitchen?"
"Yes, he's cleaning up from breakfast." Max went into the kitchen to check in with his butler while Fran got the girls' coats on for their trip to the doctor.
"Ready, Fran? I've asked Niles to move your Mercedes into the garage, I hope you don't mind."
"Why would I mind you taking care of my other baby?" She laughed. "Thanks Honey. Ready to go, girls?" Max picked up the toddler and Fran took Grace by the hand and they headed out to the Rover, and then off to the doctor's office.
Two hours later, the couple trudged back in the house, carrying the two sleeping children.
"How did the doctor's visit go, Sir?" Niles took the youngest child from Fran so she could remove her coat.
"Well, the good news is that it's clearing up. The bad news is that she's now milking this for all it's worth to get her Daddy's attention."
Max shifted Grace and helped Fran take off her coat. "He said we should keep giving her the antibiotic, but only give her the pain medicine if she's running a fever."
Niles started up the stairs with the child. "I'll get her upstairs to bed."
"I'm right behind you, Niles." Max carried the older child up to her room and helped Niles get them settled in bed. "They fell asleep right in the middle of their Happy Meals."
"I'll make sure they have a little nosh waiting for them when they wake up. Is everyone planning on being here for dinner?"
"As far as I know, Niles. I haven't discussed it with Fran yet, but with house hunting tomorrow, I suppose she should stay here so we can get an early start."
"Do you have an idea as to where you'll be looking?"
"Chandler told me of some estate homes in Ramapo, so we'll go up that way and look. We're thinking of getting a large home on plenty of land."
"That's not too far out of the city; the children will love having room to run."
They backed out of the girls' room and headed down the back stairs. "They also want a dog and horses, and Fran and I want enough room to be able to expand our family."
Niles shook his head. Pets and more children. That should be interesting. They entered the kitchen to find Fran pouring a glass of juice for herself. As Max walked in, she handed the glass to him and poured a second one for herself. "Thank you, Darling; you always seem to anticipate my needs."
She smiled and shook her head. "No, Honey, you just always want what I'm having is all. I DID want the right beverage, right?"
"Well, after the morning we had with the girls, a beer might have been better."
Fran wrinkled her nose. "Sorry, you know I don't like beer. You know what I WOULD like, though?"
"Mmm, a nap maybe?"
She laid her head on his shoulder. "How could ya tell?"
"I think it was the drooping eyelids and the fact that you've yawned about 10 times since I walked into the room. You really should have spoken to the doctor about this fatigue, Fran."
"He's a pediatrician, Sweetie."
"He's still a doctor. He could have given you some suggestion on how to get rid of this."
"Gee, Max, how about extra rest? I've got two little girls that need extra attention; one of them has an ear infection. I'm schlepping the kids back and forth between two homes, trying to make life as normal for all of them as possible, all the while trying to keep the man I love happy AND keep my sanity intact! I think a little fatigue is expected, don't you?"
Max took the juice out of her hand and pulled her into his arms. "All right, now I KNOW you're tired. You're crankier than the girls. Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap, Sweetheart?"
She yawned. "You know, I think you're right. I'm sorry, Honey."
He held her close. "Get a couple hours of sleep, and I'll wake you when the children get home from school. We'll all get to bed early tonight, so we can get up and start house hunting tomorrow."
"You sound like I'm staying here tonight."
"I think you should, Ree can rest…YOU can rest. As tired as you've been, you should take advantage of Niles and Miss Spencer."
She sighed deeply. "You know, I'm actually too tired to argue." She kissed him gently. "You win. You're right, anyway."
"Miss Fine, I haven't cleaned your room since C.C. stayed there last night, I'm sorry."
"She can nap in my room, then. She's going to be living there in two weeks, anyway." He helped her upstairs and into bed. "You rest. Buzz Niles if you need anything."
"Thanks, Honey." He pulled the covers over her and kissed her before turning off the light and closing the door.
The house was active by the time she woke up. She stretched and slowly opened her eyes, remembering where she was. She got up and slipped on her shoes, then headed downstairs.
The older children were playing a board game on the coffee table, the little ones were sitting with Denise and CC on the sofa, quietly watching Fraggle Rock. Fran smiled. That show had been in re runs for four years now, and Irene had them all memorized. She had just about all the characters on a shelf in her room. As she walked through the room, Ree looked up and smiled.
"Hi, Mommy. Daddy on phone. Want Gobo, please?"
"Thanks, Honey, I wondered where he was hiding. Baby, Gobo is in the playroom, can we get him later?"
"K., Mommy." She went back to watching the show. "Gobo get map." Fran knew what was next and headed for the office to get some paper and a pen. She quickly drew a map on the page and headed back to the living room, leaving a very confused Maxwell still on the phone. "Mommy, Ree get map?"
"Yes, Baby, here you go." She handed the scribbled map to her daughter, who then tried to explain it to her sister. She looked at C.C. and laughed. "That ought to keep her busy for an hour or so. I'll be in the office with Max if you need me." She sniffed the air. "I guess Niles has dinner about ready."
C.C. nodded. "He should, he's been in there long enough."
"Well, if you're that hungry, Sista, here's an idea. Go HELP him!" She laughed as she retreated to the office and closed the door. Hearing this side of the conversation, it was obvious that Maxwell was talking to his attorney about the adoptions.
"Very good, thank you, Chandler. We'll see you later on this evening." He hung up the phone and smiled at Fran.
"How was your nap, Darling?" He arose from his desk and joined her on the sofa.
"It was nice and quiet. Thanks, Honey, I never get to nap like that. It looks like you've got the kids in control. Reenie's not in here clinging to you."
"Sesame Street isn't on yet, so I tried this Fraggle thing, they looked like Muppets, and she was mesmerized."
She laughed softly. "Sweetie, the Fraggles ARE Muppets, and it's her favorite show."
"Oh, that's that Gobo she's always going on about, and some map?"
"Yeah, I just drew a map for her. She'll make Gracie try to find outer space with it."
"Do I want to know what outer space is?"
"Outside, but she won't actually go there. You'll have to watch the show with her sometime. It's really very cute!"
"I'll take your word for it. Now, as interesting as Fraggles are, let me fill you in on what Chandler and I talked about." He ran down the entire conversation quickly. "He'll be by with the papers later this evening, hopefully before you fall asleep again."
"Mom, Dad, DINNER!" Brighton could be heard bellowing from the living room. Max laughed and shook his head.
"You know, he's getting more and more like you every day." He stood up and pulled her up into his arms. "I must admit, I liked hearing him yelling for 'Mom' and 'Dad'."
"It was kinda nice." She kissed him softly. "Now, come on, I'm starving."
The family ate a quiet dinner together, then sat in the living room and played a couple of games before it was time to take the youngest children upstairs to bed. Max picked up Irene and Fran took Grace by the hand and they headed for the stairs. "You children decide on a movie and get started; we'll be down after we read to the girls. Niles, if Chandler Evans arrives while we're upstairs, come get me, would you?"
"Absolutely, Sir. Shall I show him into your office?"
"That will be fine, thank you, Niles." The couple took the girls upstairs and bundled them into their beds, then read them their two favorite stories. By the time the second book was finished, both girls were sound asleep. Max took Fran's hand as they walked back down the stairs. The doorbell rang as they reached the bottom stair. "That will be Chandler, I'll get it Niles." He opened the door for his attorney and showed him into his office. "Have a seat, Chandler; I just need to speak to the children." He stepped back into the living room. "If the three of you will go upstairs and put on your pajamas now, you may watch an hour of the movie; otherwise, you go to bed in 45 minutes." The children looked at each other briefly, and then ran up the stairs to change. He returned to the office chuckling.
"Honey, they're going to figure out what you've been doing to them, you DO know this, don't you?" She looked at Chandler. "He tries to avoid the bedtime arguments by telling them to get their pajamas on NOW, or they have to go to bed 15 minutes early. What they don't realize yet, is that they STILL only get 45 minutes of the movie. Maggie will be the first to figure this out, and you KNOW she'll tell the boys, then where will ya be?"
"I'll let her stay up an extra 30 minutes to keep quiet." He smiled and turned to Chandler. "So, do you have those papers for us to sign?" The couple sat with the attorney and signed the papers to start the adoption process rolling on all five children. By the time Chandler left, they were one step closer to being a family.
The next morning the family packed an ice chest with drinks and snacks and loaded the children into the Range Rover. Max headed out of the city and into New Jersey. He turned up 17 and Fran giggled. "Isn't this the way to the Paramis Mall? The car must be on auto pilot."
"No, the real estate agent said this was the quickest route. We are NOT stopping at your mall, Darling." They kept driving past Paramis and headed for the state line. As the car crossed into New York again, Maggie looked around.
"How much farther, Daddy? I thought this town wasn't that far away."
"No, it's not, Maggie, it's right up the road from here. See that sign for Suffern? There's a movie theater there that shows classic movies. We're only a couple of miles away now."
Maggie settled back down into her seat and went back to reading her book. Max pulled into the real estate office and came back to talk to Fran. "We have two choices. We can wait until they finish building, or we can drive up the road a few miles to Monroe. There's a house there that I think you'll fall in love with. The real estate agent said she'd go with us, if you'd like to see it."
He handed her the brochure on the house. "Oh, MAX! It's absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of…"
"I know, it reminds me of your townhouse, too. So what do I tell the agent?"
"I want to see it."
Max went back to inform the agent, and soon they were on their way north. "You know, Fran, Monroe is actually more centrally located to all the amenities in Harriman State Park."
Fran was still going through the brochure on the house. "Maxwell, did you see this? There are TWO guest houses on the estate, both two bedroom one bath, plus maid's quarters, tennis courts, stables…"
"Stables?" Maggie popped up from her book again.
"Yes, Sweetheart, there are stables on the estate." Fran grinned at her daughter. They followed the real estate agent up Sapphire Road and finally turned up the drive to the house. "Oh, Maxwell, it's beautiful. If the inside is half as beautiful as these pictures, I want it."
"You do know it's an hour out of town. There is no mall nearby."
"With the two houses on the estate, C.C. could live in one, and you could work from the house most of the time. The kids could change schools after the school year is over."
"Cool, look at that LAKE!" The boys were running around taking in all the sights.
"All right, children, everyone inside, and no one touch a thing!" Max scooped up Irene, and Fran grabbed Grace, while Maggie corralled her brothers. After a complete tour of the house, everyone was totally in love with it.
"Honey, this is it. I don't even want to look anymore."
"You're sure, Sweetheart?"
She nodded. "Even if I have to part with the townhouse to get it, this is home."
"Fine, I'll make an offer, then. Luckily, the asking price is low enough we don't have to wait for the sale of our other two places to buy it. Now, you're SURE you won't mind living so far from your parents?"
"No, the house is big enough that they can come and spend the weekends." She grinned at him. He turned and frowned for a minute, then winked at her and headed back in to talk to the agent.
A few minutes later, he was back. "All right, we'll need to stop at her office and sign the offer. She's called it in, so it should be ready when we get there." He watched his children walking around the grounds, taking in the sights. "You think they'll like living out here?"
"I think they'll love it. All three of them were talking horses; the boys want a dog and a sailboat for the lake."
"I think we can arrange that. It will be fun to teach them to sail. Maybe we'll get some kayaks, too. What is it, Fran? You look like you're not sure."
"Oh, Max, I AM sure. Everything's just so perfect. The last time things were this right in my life, the bottom fell out. I'm just afraid that it might happen again."
"Darling, nothing's going to happen. We're together, we're getting married, and we're buying this beautiful new home to combine our families. You ARE right, though, everything IS perfect." He wrapped her in his arms and watched the children. The boys were chasing the little ones, and Maggie was running after all of them.
"I guess I should call Ma then. I still haven't told her about the wedding."
"How about we run by there when we're finished here? I'm sure they'd love to see the children."
"Yeah, it's been a while. I've really been bad about calling her. Kids! Come on; let's get back in the car. We need to go sign some papers before we head back to the city."
They got the children strapped back in the Rover and headed back to the real estate office. Maggie was thrilled when she was asked to look after the children for a few minutes while they signed the papers. When they returned, Maggie had passed out juice to everyone and was starting to give out some crackers. "Is this all right?"
Fran smiled. "It's perfect, Sweetie, thank you so much. I just told Daddy that I needed to fix you kids a snack."
They got settled and started the hour-long drive back into the city. Fran looked around and smiled. She couldn't wait to tell her mother all the latest news.
Back in Manhattan, Niles and C.C. were getting ready for their excursion to Coney Island. When Niles walked down the stairs in those blue jeans, C.C. thought her heart would stop. She'd seen him in a tuxedo, in his suits, and on casual dress he only substituted a sweater vest for his jacket. Now here he was in jeans and a sweater. His blonde hair was a bit tousled and his blue eyes sparkling as he entered the foyer. "What?"
"Nothing. I, I've never seen you dressed like this before."
"Would you rather I wore a suit? I thought jeans might be more comfortable for both of us."
"No, your jeans are just, perfect. Absolutely perfect." She watched him walk into the living room. Those suit pants just did not do that tush justice.
"Mr. Sheffield didn't call while I was upstairs, did he?"
"No, was he supposed to?"
"He said he'd call and let us know if they found a house."
"They're not going to find the perfect place in one day. You know how particular they both are. It's got to be just right for the kids."
"Well, they also said they wanted it big enough to be able to expand their family if they want to."
C.C. grinned. If they wanted to. She tried not to giggle.
"What? Do you know something?"
"No, Niles, not really. I just know that Fran wants to have a child with Max very much."
"That doesn't bother you?"
"No, not any more. I used to dream about marrying Maxwell, shipping his kids off to boarding school; now all I think about is how soon till one of the kids gets up from their nap, what time are the kids coming home from school, how soon until Fran makes me an aunt again. I really love those kids, Niles, and I still love Maxwell, but it's become more like a best friend love, does that make any sense?"
"It makes perfect sense." He took her hand. "Come on; let's go be a couple of kids for the day." He grinned as he pulled her behind him. They walked up the street to the garage and stepped inside.
"Niles, this is Maxwell's sports car! We can't take this!"
"Sure we can. He offered me the use of it this morning. He felt the limo was a bit stuffy for a day of childish fun." He held the door open for her. "Get in, buckle up." He closed the door once she was secure and opened the garage door. He pulled the car out and closed the heavy door behind them. "Ready?" She smiled and nodded at him, and he sped off towards the LIE. Thirty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot at Coney Island.
"It's not very crowded today."
"Well, that's because it's normally not open this time of year. They opened the park for a special group event, and I was able to get the tickets through a friend. It's more fun this way, less people, more time to ride the rides. So, what first, The Cyclone? The Mystic Express? How about the Astrotower, you can almost see the house from there." He took her hand and led her into the park. His first stop was at the popcorn stand, where he bought a large popcorn to share, and two lemonades.
"Thank you. Oh, what's that? That looks like fun."
"That's kiddie land, we're heading THAT way." He pointed to the large roller coaster looming in the distance.
"You have GOT to be kidding!"
He rubbed her arm. "Trust me, would you?" She reluctantly followed him as he made his way to the large coaster. "Are you done with that?" He nodded at her the cup of ice that she was carrying."
"Oh, yeah, sorry." He took the cup and disposed of it, along with the rest of the popcorn, then helped her onto the roller coaster. He laughed as she quizzed the ride operator on the safety as he latched her in. As the ride started, she grabbed his arm in fear. She leaned back and relaxed as it slowly made its way up the first hill. "O.K., this isn't so baaaaaaaad! Niiiiiiiiles!!!!!" The coaster headed down the first dip and moved sharply to the right, slamming her into him. She clung to him for dear life.
"Calm down, C.C., you're fine."
"Uh, huh…Oh my GOD!" The coaster continued to toss her around from side to side, occasionally lifting her off the seat a bit. When the car came to a stop, she looked at him and tried to catch her breath. "Yeah, that wasn't so bad." She climbed out of the car and straightened her hair, which was now a tangled mess.
The ride operator looked at her and laughed. "You look beautiful, Ma'am. You know, if you REALLY want a ride you'll remember, try the BACK car."
She looked at Niles and grinned. "O.K." She grabbed his hand, ran to the back car, and pulled him in behind her.
"C.C., are you sure about this? Do you know how the back car will whip around?"
"Scared, Niles?"
"Hardly." The operator latched their safety bars and waved to C.C. as he started the ride. Her intention was to scare Niles as much as he'd scared her. She had no idea how the back car would behave. As it made the first turn, she was thrown violently across the car.
"Uh-oh, sorry, Niles." He held her tightly to prevent her from being injured as the car whipped around the curves. When the ride was over, she was rubbing her hip to ease the pain. "Oh, ouch, that hurts! I'm gonna have one hell of a bruise."
"I tried to warn you. Maybe a nice massage will make it feel better."
"I know you did, but I wanted to pay you back for scaring me. I'd love a massage, you're sure you don't mind?" She liked where this conversation was going.
"If you were scared, why did you go on it? It would be my pleasure."
"Because I want to have FUN today! What's that?" She pointed to a woman carrying what looked like pink cotton on a stick.
"That's cotton candy, would you like some?" He grinned at her. So she wanted a massage. He'd give her a massage she'd never forget.
"What's in it?"
"It's melted sugar, spun into tiny threads, like silk."
"Then I think I need to try it." She grinned and followed him to the concession stand. He paid for the treat and handed it to her. "Oh, this is heavenly, Niles, do you want some?" She held out the pink treat to him.
"Oh, no, I bought that for YOU."
She pulled a chunk off and moved it closer to his mouth. "Come on, Niles, just a little bite…open up." She pressed it to his lips, and he parted them slightly to allow her fingers to enter. "Good boy." She pulled a second chunk and popped it into her mouth, leaving traces of pink on her lips.
Niles couldn't take any more. "I'd rather taste it like this." He pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his own. He never tasted the candy, all he tasted was her. She slowly relaxed and began to return the kiss, dropping the candy to the ground. They were both completely unaware of the stares of the passersby; all they felt was each other. They finally pulled apart and stared deeply into each other's eyes. He could see the fire building in her eyes. Did she actually want him as much as he wanted her? "So, uh, where to next?"
"Depends on what you want to try, I suppose." God, now she sounded like Fran.
He smiled and touched her cheek. "That can wait until later. For now, let's try a few rides, maybe a hot dog." She nodded. He wanted her, he really wanted her!
"I suppose the hot dog will do for now." She smiled seductively at him and walked ahead of him to the Nathan's stand. He watched the way her jeans hugged the curves of her hips and enhanced her already lovely backside. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, slipping his fingers just underneath the bottom of her sweater. She felt his hot breath on her neck as he moved his lips to her ear.
"How about some dessert once we get home?"
She swallowed hard, leaning back against him for support. "Do you have chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, cherries, maybe a little caramel sauce?"
"I think we do, but the children finished off the last of the ice cream. We'll have to stop at the market."
"Who said I wanted ice cream?"
Now it was Niles turn to catch his breath. He ordered two hot dogs from the obviously shocked vendor and pulled her away. "You are a naughty girl, C.C., and you know what happens to bad little girls?"
Her eyes sparkled. "You haven't seen baaaad yet." She picked up her hot dog and moved it to her mouth. Niles froze. "Oh, GOD, C.C., not again! How much do you think I can take?"
She smiled an evil smile and opened her mouth to receive the hot dog. "I don't know, Niles, how much?"
He reached up, removed the food from her hand, and tossed both their hot dogs into the garbage. "Come on, we're leaving."
She had a satisfied smile on her face as he led her to the car. She'd won again.
He caught the look on her face as he was helping her into the car. She wanted to play THAT game, did she? Well, then, my blonde beauty, it's GAME ON! He fired up the car and headed back to the Sheffield home.
Max looked in the rear view mirror at his squabbling children, then over at Fran, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully in the passenger's seat. "Children, that's enough, your mother is trying to sleep."
"No, I'm not; I'm memorizing the inside of my eyelids." She smiled and looked over at him. "I think I slept for about five minutes. When Irene smacked Brighton upside the head with her water bottle, I went on full 'mom' alert."
"Are you feeling any better?"
"I'm actually feeling fine, just tired. Now, don't say anything in front of Ma. You KNOW how she gets."
"Do you really want to inflict these…adorable angels…on your parents today?"
"There's nothing these kids can do that they haven't seen from Nadine's adorable angels. They're even more adorable than OUR kids."
"I'm dorable!"
"Yes, Ree, you are definitely adorable. Now stop hitting your brother in the head! How does she DO that?"
"Can I throw the bottle back at her?"
"Brighton! You may not! She's just a baby!"
"Yeah, Dad, but she's a mean baby."
"Love you, B.!"
"See what I mean? I can't even get mad at her, she's just too cute. I love you, too, Reenie. She just doesn't play fair."
"Few women do, Son."
"Hey, I'd watch it if I were you, Mista, you're outnumbered in this family." She laughed and poked at his arm.
"This IS your mother's street, isn't it?"
"It's just one more block, honey, up there on the left."
"That's right, it just seem like this block goes forever."
He pulled the Range Rover up in front of the Fine's building and shut the motor off. "Do you think you can behave while you visit your grandparents?"
"Are they our grandparents now, too?"
"Not officially till the wedding, right, Mom?"
"Well, technically you're right, but what do you say we share them early? Remember, we agreed to share ALL the grandparents."
Maggie giggled. "Even Grandmother Sheffield?"
Max frowned at his oldest child. "Now, Maggie…"
Fran put her hand on his arm. "No, Maxwell, it's all right. If you take Grandma Yetta, it's only fair that we take Grandmother Sheffield."
"That's hardly a comparison, Fran. Yetta is just a bit confused at times; my mother is just downright…"
"MEAN!" Brighton piped up from the back seat. "Can we go in now? I'm hungry!"
"Yeah, me too. Bubby Sylvia is always good for a nosh or two!"
Fran laughed to herself. Two? Try three of four! These kids won't eat their dinner if they stay too long at her parent's house. "Are you ready to go in?"
The family piled out of the car and made their way to the Fine's front door.
They were greeted with open arms by Fran's mother. She hugged all five children, and then whisked them into the kitchen for cookies and milk. Max looked down at his watch and glanced at Fran who just smiled and shrugged. They sat down on the sofa together, and Max laced his fingers through Fran's for support. Sylvia left the children in the kitchen and confronted the couple in the living room.
"All right, you two, what's going on? I call YOUR house, and I get that yenta butler telling me that you're out." She pointed to Fran next. "Then I call YOUR house, and all I get is your machine. Do I get a call back? I haven't heard from you in over a week, and it's been longer than that since I've seen my grandchildren. Speaking of that, what's with this 'Michael' mishegas?"
Fran waited to make sure her mother was done ranting. She looked at Max. "Where do we start?"
"London?"
"London? You haven't been to London in over five years!"
"Ma, if you'd just settle down, we'll tell you everything." They told her about their relationship in London, why he went back to Sarah, how she tried to make things work with Tony once she came back. Then they began telling her how they'd fallen in love again, and how they found out about Grace's parentage. For once in her life, Sylvia was practically speechless. "So, Ma, what are you and Daddy doing on the first of March?"
"What day is that?"
"It's a Friday, Ma"
"Well, when's that pageant?"
"The 16th, Ma. Can you and Daddy come over on the first or not?"
"I guess so, what's going on?"
She looked at Max and grinned. "Well, I just thought you might like to come to our wedding."
"What? MORTY get out here, our baby's getting married!"
They heard a grunt come from the other room. "Oy, the Islanders are playing, you'll never get him away from the television set. So what about the kids, do they know?"
"Oh, yeah, they know. They're helping me plan the wedding. Ma, we're adopting each other's kids, so you'll have three more grandchildren."
She looked into the kitchen and smiled. "Such angels, they get along so well, don't they? Is your house big enough for all those kids, Max?"
"Well, no, Sylvia, it really isn't, and neither is Fran's. As a matter of fact, we've been house hunting, and made an offer today."
"Really, that's GREAT!"
"Uh, Ma, the house is about an hour away, in Monroe. You'd LOVE this place, it's got twelve bedrooms, eight full baths, three Jacuzzi tubs, a pool, stables, OH, two guest houses, and there's a lake on the property. There'll be plenty of room for you and Daddy to come for the weekend and visit."
"What about schools?"
"The children will finish the year at Lexington, and then we'll transfer them to a school closer to the house."
"So you're selling your dream home. You worked so hard for it."
"I know, Ma, but Max is selling his house, too. We are getting this new place for under three, and I'm sure to get over four for my place, and Max's is sure to get closer to ten. Ma, the house is on Sapphire Road. That has to be some kind of sign."
"I can't believe my baby is getting married and moving away."
"We won't be that far, Sylvia, and you and Morty are welcome to come out and visit any time. We'll put in a satellite dish so Morty won't miss any of his games."
Fran laughed. "Don't tell him that or he'll never move out!" She checked her watch. "I hate to run, Ma, but we need to get these kids home and fed. Ree's been sick again, so she needs to get into bed early."
"Is it her ears again?"
Fran nodded. "She's been miserable. This is the first day we've had her outside all day. Ah, speaking of the little devil…what's wrong, baby?"
"Maggie say no cookie. Want my dadeeeeeeee!" She wailed and ran to Max's waiting arms.
Fran looked over at her mother. "She never wants me anymore, she only wants her daddy. She's started sitting with him in his office while he works."
She eyed Max. "That doesn't bother you?"
He hugged the child tightly. "Not at all. I love having my girls close to me."
"Come on, kids, let's get ready to go home and see Denise."
"Who's Denise?"
"Oh, the new nanny. She's wonderful with the kids, not at all like the other ones that Maxwell hired over the years. This one doesn't want to be an actress, isn't interested in MAX."
"No, I think she's interested in Niles." Maggie giggled.
"Niles? What makes you think that, Mags?"
"She's always asking me questions about him, things he likes, does he have a girlfriend, that kind of thing."
"Uh, oh, Aunt C.C. had better look out." Brighton was grinning.
"If I know your Aunt C.C., DENISE had better look out." Fran laughed. "Michael, help Grace put her coat on, please?"
"Sure, Mom. Gracie, hold STILL." He grabbed the giggling girl by the arms and tried to put her coat on.
"So what's with this Michael business?"
"He wants to drop his first name. He's getting a new last name, so he figured it's a good time to change everything."
"But that's his father's name."
"No, Bubby, HE is my father." The boy pointed at Max. "I don't want to be named after someone who hurt my mom so much."
"Son, that's enough." Max leaned over and hugged his son.
"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Mom."
She gathered him into her arms. "It's all right, Baby. Everybody hug Bubby goodbye, Niles is going to have dinner ready and you know how he gets if we're late."
"Do you think he and C.C. are back from the amusement park yet?"
"Knowing those two, they probably got into it about something and left the park early." Fran herded the children toward the door. "Bye, Ma. I'll call you about the wedding."
"I'm so happy for you, Darling. I'll talk to you soon." She kissed her daughter and gave Max a warm hug. "Welcome to our family, Max."
The restless children piled back into the car and immediately started harassing their parents.
"Mom, can we have a sundae bar tonight with our movie?"
"Yeah, pleeeeeeeeaaaase?" Both girls chimed in with their sister.
"We're out of ice cream, girls, sorry." Max looked over at Fran and winked.
"Well, can't we just stop by the store and get some on the way home?"
"Yeah, then we can get two flavors, because Grace and Reenie like vanilla and Brighton and I like chocolate."
"Well, I like strawberry, so can't we get three flavors?"
"Why don't we just get Neapolitan?"
"Eeeeeew!"
"I guess that answers THAT question. Honey, you might as well stop at the market."
"Fran, Darling, can't they just wait until Niles restocks the freezer? They DID just have cookies at your mother's house."
"Well, I was sort of hoping you'd stop for Hagen Dasz anyway."
"I can't fight you all." He pulled the Range Rover into a parking place. "Stay with the children, I'll be right back with your ice cream."
After a silent ride back from Coney Island, Niles pulled the sports car to a stop in front of the Sheffield home. As he opened the door for C.C. to exit the car, he checked his watch. He had several hours before the family would be home and, hopefully, that yenta nanny would still be out for the day.
"Would you care for a drink?"
"I was actually looking forward to that dessert you promised me." She leaned back on the sofa, wishing she were wearing something besides these damned tight jeans.
"I'll check the kitchen, and be right back."
"While you're doing that, I think I'll go upstairs and see if Fran has something a bit more comfortable to wear. Oy, did that sound cliché or WHAT?"
Niles laughed. "Well, you're sounding like her; you might as well dress like her." He grinned evilly. "Why don't you try that white robe of hers? I've always thought it would look better on you."
She stopped halfway up the stairs. For a minute, she thought he might be attracted to her friend. "Nice save." She grinned as she headed up the stairs to Fran's room. She opened the door to the guest room and peered inside. Once Fran moved into Maxwell's room, she could bring a few things over for possible overnight visits. She smiled in anticipation as she moved to the closet. Now, what to wear? Most of Fran's things were short and clingy…AH, perfect. She pulled out Fran's white bathrobe. What was it Niles said, he thought SHE would look better in it than Fran? She pulled off her sweater and stepped out of her jeans, and then pulled the robe around her. She headed for the door, but stopped short. She walked back over to the mirror and eyed her reflection. First, those shoes would have to go. She kicked off her tennis shoes and pulled off the socks, then checked herself in the mirror again. Her mouth twisted into an evil grin as she laughed devilishly. She pulled the robe off and removed her bra and panties, then pulled the robe back on, tying the sash securely around her waist. She grabbed Fran's body powder and dabbed herself several times with the puff. It wasn't quite her scent, but it was close enough. She pulled the barrette from her hair and tossed it on the dresser. If this didn't drive that man into her arms, nothing would. She walked quietly down the back stairs and found Niles busy in the kitchen. He had several items removed from the refrigerator and was digging for something she couldn't quite see. She walked a bit closer and noticed a can of whipped cream on the counter. She grinned as she picked it up and gave it a little shake, then started to squirt some on her finger. The top popped off and the liquid cream squirted everywhere, covering her face and chest. Niles turned to face her and couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" She flicked a bit of the cream in his direction. "What's that you have behind your back, Niles?" Now what was he up to?
He stepped closer to her and produced a bottle of chocolate syrup. He squirted a bit on his finger, and then rubbed it around her mouth. He stepped forward to taste, and as he did, she picked up the bottle of caramel sauce. She carefully brought it up above his head as he was kissing her, and let it dribble down the side of his face. She moved her mouth around to lick of the thick amber liquid. She stepped back to view the rest of the items on the table, as she did so, her robe opened slightly. She looked down at her partially exposed body, then at Niles. His eyes were transfixed on the flesh that was now exposed to him. She shook the whipped cream and this time didn't miss her mark. She created a small trail from her chin to her cleavage, inviting him to taste. He didn't disappoint her. His mouth made a direct assault on her neck, and then slowly made its way down her chest. She felt the robe open slightly as his mouth explored her flesh. "My God, you taste good." She picked up the chocolate syrup to add to his tasting experience, and some dribbled on his sweater.
"I got some on your sweater, Niles." She reached over and pulled the sweater off over his head, exposing his toned abdomen. She reached out to touch as his mouth returned to feasting on her soft, warm flesh.
She put the syrup down and ran her fingers through his thick blonde hair as his mouth had its way with her. He explored, tasted, teased, until he knew they both wanted….needed more. He raised his head up and saw the look in her eyes. "What do you say we finish dessert upstairs?" Her mouth was dry, she could barely speak. She couldn't believe this was Niles, the man she'd hated for so many years, making her feel this way. She nodded and helped him collect the toppings, and then followed him up the stairs to his room.
"How's that hip feeling?" He moved his hand into her robe and caressed her hip and he could see a bruise forming. "Mmm, we'll have to take care of that. Lie down on the bed, let me get some lotion." She moved onto the bed as he retrieved the lotion and came back to join her. "On your stomach, there's a good girl." He carefully pulled one side of her robe open, revealing her hip and back. He squirted some lotion into his hand and rubbed it to warm it before applying it to her body. Slowly his gentle hands moved over her back and side, massaging her sore muscles. She never knew a man could be so gentle, so caring, and so attentive. When he finished massaging her, he rolled her onto her back and looked deeply into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?"
"Are you?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Me, too." She pulled him down on top of her.
They had just finished making love for the third time when Niles suddenly stopped and listened. "The Sheffields are home."
"I'd better go get dressed." She kissed him softly and pulled the robe around her body.
"Stay with me tonight."
"Niles, the kids…."
"You say you're spending the night with Fran, like a sleepover, then after they all go to bed, you come in here, and you get up with me in the morning before the rest of the house is awake."
"What time is THAT?"
"I'm up at five thirty."
She stared at him open-mouthed. "You'd better make it worth my while, Buster."
"It will be my pleasure."
"Then I'll stay, I just need to borrow things from Fran again."
"You're wearing all you'll need." He looked at the clock. "I'd better get downstairs and get dinner going, or I'll be looking for a new job!" He wrapped a blue towel around himself and opened the door for her to leave.
"I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes, lover." She kissed him softly and turned towards the guest room, where Fran was standing watching. "Oh, uh, hi! You're home early."
"My robe looks good on you; maybe you should just keep that one." She grinned at her friend and opened the bedroom door. "Come on, Bubbie, time to dish."
The women disappeared into the bedroom, talked, and laughed while they changed. Fran told her about the new house, and C.C. told Fran all about her day with Niles.
"You used ALL the toppings? Max is going to freak. We made him stop at THREE different stores for the right flavors and brands of ice cream for sundae bar night."
"We used all the toppings. Oh, Fran, I'm sorry, I didn't even think of the kids."
"Oh, don't worry about them. We'll make up some excuse and they can have plain ice cream. I'm just glad the two of YOU finally had dessert. You DO know you have chocolate sauce under your left ear, right?"
C.C. checked her reflection in the mirror. "Oh, I can't believe he missed a spot."
"Oy, I don't think I want to hear any more!"
"You know, I hurt my side on one of the rides today, and when we got back here, he actually gave me a massage!"
"I could use one myself after today. That was a long time to sit in that car with those kids. Irene was in rare form."
"How's her ear?"
"Fine, I guess. She was all over the place today, hitting her brothers, tormenting her sisters. Hey, if you're going to spend the night, how'd you like to do us a favor tomorrow?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Max and I want to take the kids to the movies tomorrow, well, just the older kids. Could you and Niles watch Ree and Racy, since it's Denise's day off?"
"No problem, make a day of it if you like. We'll be fine."
"Great… that might soften things when Max finds out there aren't any toppings left."
C.C. giggled. "I'm sorry, Frannie, I really am!"
"Yeah, sure ya are!" She laughed at her friend. "Come on, let's go down and see what my little angels have destroyed since I've been up here with you."
"Hey, Niles, what happened to the hot fudge and caramel?" Maggie was rummaging through the refrigerator.
"It's not in there?" Niles asked innocently.
"You're just looking in the wrong place, Mags, check behind the whipped cream, that's where Mom put it last time."
"WHAT whipped cream?"
Michael closed the freezer and peered into the other side of the sub zero as Max entered the kitchen. "It was right there yesterday when Niles made me some hot chocolate. We're out of syrup, too?"
"Oh, Son, we can't be out, those jars were half full, and you're right about the whipped cream, it's on the top shelf near the back."
"No, Dad, it's NOT." Maggie stepped back for her father to check the contents.
"Niles? Did you move the ice cream toppings?"
"Well, Sir, I uh…"
"Well, come on, Man, spit it out. I just schlepped to three different stores buying ice cream for my five, no make that SIX children and now I have to go out for toppings, too?"
"What's the matter, Honey?" Fran and C.C. entered the kitchen just in time to save Niles the embarrassment of having to explain just how the toppings disappeared in front of the children. "Maggie, Mikey, go check on the girls for me, would you?"
"Brighton's watching them." These kids didn't want to miss a second of this.
"Margaret, Michael, you heard your mother."
"Yes, Sir." They walked dejectedly out of the kitchen and headed straight for the living room intercom. Niles had definitely taught them well.
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on here?"
"We're out of toppings."
"Yes, Fran, I see that. C.C., what are you grinning at?"
Fran looked over at Niles and saw exactly why she was grinning. There was a trail of amber syrup running from his ear to his collarbone. She giggled and brought her hand up to her mouth as C.C. crossed the room to the sink. She wet the washcloth and gently wiped the caramel off his neck.
"Oh, dear, I see, I, uh…"
"Come ON, Honey, let's go see what the kids are doing. I'll just tell them the toppings expired and we threw them out. They'll survive with plain ice cream tonight." She pulled him into the dining room
"What about you?"
"Well, I was planning to serve you something UNDER the Hagen Dasz." He raised his eyebrows and pulled her into his arms.
"Were you, now?" He kissed her softly. "So, Niles and C.C….however did you manage that?"
"Manage what?"
"They've hated each other for years, and now this? I don't know what to make of it."
"I don't think they really hated each other, Honey. I think they were just terrified of their feelings. She always thought he could never be attracted to her, so she pushed him away."
"You know, now that you mention it, he did talk to me once about her, about not being in her class."
"Niles? He's got more class that just about any man I know."
"He's a butler, Darling, as was his father and grandfather."
"Well, it doesn't bother you that I'm not some upper class snob with a pedigree a mile long."
"That's because I love you!"
"Bingo!"
"You're telling me she's really in love with him?"
"It sure looks that way. Oh, by the way, she and I are having a sleepover tonight. As far as our munchkins are concerned, she's sleeping in my room. Oh, stop wrinkling your brow; she'll be out before the kids get up. She's getting up with Niles."
"That's what I'm afraid of. We've got no dinner tonight, and now it looks like no breakfast tomorrow."
"I'm sure he's cooking right now."
"Dinner will be in about 20 minutes, sir." Niles popped his head into the dining room.
"Oh, twenty minutes, great, I'll tell the children. Thank you, Niles."
"See, he's doing his job. Oh, they're going to watch Irene and Grace tomorrow while we take Maggie and the boys to the movies."
"Niles hates watching the girls."
"C.C. LOVES watching them, and she's the one that agreed to it."
"I guess we're going to the movies tomorrow."
"I thought we'd do a little wedding shopping while we were out, if that's all right with you."
"I had a feeling you'd want to do that. It's perfectly all right with me, I'm sure the children will love it to. They're very excited about all this."
"Really? I'm scared to death."
"I know you are, Darling. I promise everything will be just fine." He kissed her softly.
"Uh, excuse me, but I think Reenie's ear is hurting again. She's pulling on it and whining."
"Thanks, B., I'll be right there. Could you please tell everyone dinner is in about fifteen minutes?"
"Sure, Mom. Are you O.K.?"
"Yeah, Honey, I'm just a little tired. It was a long day."
"Yeah, it was, but it was fun. We're really going to buy that cool house?"
"I sure hope so. It IS cool, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's like a combination of both houses. It's old fashioned, like yours, and big like this one."
"What's your favorite part about it?"
"I think the lake. I can't wait to get a sailboat."
"What about having your own room?"
"We can't share a room?"
"Well, Sweetie, that's kind of the idea of getting a bigger place." Brighton's face fell. Fran looked over at Max. "I guess it's time for a family meeting, isn't it?" She put her arm around her son. "Come on, My Darling, into the living room." She led him into the living room, where the other children were trying to decide on a movie for the evening.
"Children, can you put the movies down for a few minutes? Your mother and I want to discuss something with you."
"I didn't do it."
"Didn't do what, Son?"
"Whatever it is we need to discuss. It was probably Ree."
Max chuckled. "No one's in trouble, Michael. Something just came up about the new house, and your mom thought we should hold a family meeting."
"We're still getting it, aren't we?"
"We sure hope so, Honey. We wanted to talk about the rooms in the new house. Who's going to sleep where."
"Well, you and Dad get the big room right? B. and I talked about it, and we think Maggie should get the other big room with the view of the stables, since she loves the horses so much."
"Really? I thought you guys would want that room, since you're going to be sharing it."
"No, Mags, you can have it."
"What's the catch? What do you guys want?"
"Well, could you take us riding sometimes? No way will Mom and Dad let us go alone, but if our much more responsible older sister went with us…"
"That's IT? That's all you want?"
"Well, yeah."
Fran leaned over to Max and whispered softly into his ear, "Who ARE these kids?"
"You boys are sure you want to share a room? You barely have enough room as it is, and once we get the things from the smaller house over there, you'll be pretty cramped."
"With twelve bedrooms, couldn't we have playrooms like at Mom's house?"
"Well, what if you had your own rooms AND playrooms? If we put you boys in rooms next door to each other, we could have a door put in to join your rooms, like in a hotel. That way, if you left the door open, it would be like one big suite, and you could still close it for privacy if you wanted it."
"We could do that?"
"Of course. Let's see, twelve rooms, one for your mother and me, one for Maggie, two for the boys, two for the girls, one for the nursery, one for Denise, we'd have to have a room for Morty and Sylvia, and one guest room. That's ten, right? That leaves two rooms for playrooms. Niles will have his own quarters, and C.C. will be in the guest house."
"Dad, did you say nursery? Mom! Are you gonna have a baby?"
"We're talking about it, Honey. What do you kids think about that?"
Bedlam erupted; all the children began talking at once. The unanimous feeling was that a baby was definitely wanted by everyone.
"What's all the excitement?"
"Mom's gonna have a baby!"
"That's GREAT, Fran!"
"Oh, not NOW, C.C., we're just planning is all. We were deciding about the bedrooms at the new house, and Max mentioned we were allocating one room for a nursery."
"Oh, I was sort of looking forward to another little one to spoil."
"Well, my friend, here's an idea. Have one of your own."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding. Children hate me." She looked down at her feet, where Irene was tugging on her pants leg. "What is it, Reenie?"
"Want up, Aunt C." C.C. scooped up the child who immediately laid her head down on C.C.'s shoulder and began sucking her thumb.
"Oh, yeah, kids hate you all right, Ceece. Reenie, take your thumb outta your mouth."
The child removed her thumb and wrapped both arms tightly around her auntie's neck. "Love you Aunt C.."
"Oh, I love you, too, Reeniekins." The child began to giggle as C.C. carried her into the dining room. "Oh, I almost forgot, dinner's ready."
The family assembled at the dinner table and Niles served the spaghetti and meatballs, salad and garlic bread.
"This is a wonderful meal, Niles! I should eat here more often."
"Yeah, Ceece, ya should. Ya know his desserts are just to die for."
C.C. choked on her water and began to cough. She shot her friend an 'I'll get you for that' look then winked. Maxwell frowned a warning to Fran, who was now on a roll. "So, C.C., we need to catch up on things, are ya up for a sleepover tonight? I'm sure you won't be satisfied if you don't stay."
Niles almost dropped the serving tray in Maxwell's lap. This time it was HIS warning frown tossed in Fran's direction. It was too late. C.C. had caught the 'playful bug' and was now bantering back and forth with Fran. By the time the meal was over, the children were laughing uncontrollably, and C.C. and Fran were giggling like a couple of schoolgirls.
"Niles, when you load the dishwasher, come into the living room and join us for movie night."
"That's a family activity, Miss Fine."
"Well, you're family, so get the dishes going and get your touchas out here and join us." Niles smiled and nodded as he carried the dishes into the kitchen.
"All right children, everyone upstairs and into your pajamas. All seven of you children." He winked at Fran.
"But, Ma-ax…." He waited until the children were out of sight then swatted her backside playfully. "Don't make me spank you, Little Girl."
"Oy, Mr. Sheffield, maybe I need to be naughty more often!" She smiled seductively at him as she pulled C.C. up the stairs with her. After she'd closed her bedroom door behind them, they erupted in laughter. "You think we went too far at dinner?"
"I thought Niles was going to swallow his tongue at one point."
"I think Max DID! I was so sure he was going to just kill us."
"He still might, the night's not over yet. What are you looking for?"
"Some pajamas to wear that will drive him crazy. I have sexy, which I can't wear in front of the children, and I have demure, which will just put him to sleep."
C.C. reached into the drawer. "What about these?"
"I can't wear those baby dolls in front of the kids."
"You wear the top with, um, these long pants. Pull your hair up into pony tails, maybe a ribbon or two."
"I'll look like Maggie."
"Would you trust me for once, please?"
"What about you, what are you going to wear."
"Your white robe."
"You are NOT wearing ONLY my robe in my living room in front of my babies."
"Oh, fine, you win. How about these?"
"No, too demure for you. Here, wear these." She pulled out a pair of satin leopard print pajamas. "These are perfect for you. I got them from Fredericks of Hollywood."
"You're insane; you know that, don't you?"
"Hey, you know what Jimmy Buffet says…'If we couldn't laugh, then we'd all go insane.'
"Jimmy, WHO?"
"What planet do you LIVE on, girl? Jimmy Buffet, you know, Margaritaville? Cheeseburger in Paradise? Come Monday? Never mind, I'll buy you the tape." She shook her head
"Wait a minute, isn't he that guy that has concerts where everyone dresses in hula skirts and wears parrots on their heads?"
"We have a winner! Yeah, Babe, that's him. Now are you gonna get dressed or not?"
"Just give me the damned pajamas." She snatched them from Fran's hands and changed quickly. "They're a little tight."
"That's because you have more there than I do. Just unbutton the top two buttons and put on the robe. Ya know, Niles is right, that robe DOES look better on you. Why don't you keep it?"
"You're not serious? This is one of your favorite ones!"
"I have the same robe in lilac, you keep that one. I'm not sure I could wear it again anyway, not after you, uh…." She started to giggle again. "Come on; let's go see what movie we're watching."
"Sorry about the sundaes. Are the kids very disappointed?"
"No, they're just fine. I'll make them some popcorn, they can have a dish of ice cream, and they'll watch their movie. I'll see if I can get the little ones to sleep BEFORE the ice cream. Too much sugar before bed, and they're up and down half the night."
The girls headed downstairs where Max had already started the movie. Fran snuggled next to him, while C.C. found a comfortable spot in the large chair. Irene jumped up from the sofa and crawled into her arms. She was quickly followed by Grace.
"Girls, give Aunt C.C. some room, would ya?"
"They're fine, Fran, really. What's the movie?
"The Neverending Story. I think they have it memorized, but they still love it." She laughed. "O.K., we ALL love it."
By the time Niles came in from the kitchen, the little ones were sleeping. He and Max carried the girls up to their room and tucked them in for the night, then returned to the movie. One by one, the other children began to drop off. They were all sleeping before the movie was half over.
"Fran, we should get the boys up to bed. Fran?" He looked down and she was sleeping peacefully on his chest.
"I'll get the boys, Sir, if you want to get her up to bed."
"Thank you, Niles. She's been so tired lately." He lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs, depositing her on her bed.
"What time is it?"
"Not quite nine, Darling, you and the children all fell asleep."
"I'm sorry; let me get them to bed."
"That's already been taken care of. Niles took the boys to their room, and Maggie is already in her bed sound asleep. We really wore them out today."
"C.C…."
"Everyone's gone to bed, Sweetheart. Relax, go back to sleep, I'll see you in the morning."
"I'll miss you." She turned over and fell back to sleep. Max listened to her breathing become deep and regular, then pulled the covers over her and turned off her light. This was going to be a very long two weeks.